Chet Holmgren is officially sidelined for 8-10 weeks after undergoing treatment Friday for a small patellar tendon tear in his right knee, and this news is absolutely crushing for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s not just Chet either. With Jalen Williams out for the season after a gruesome leg injury and Cason Wallace set to miss most of the season following surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder, the Thunder are now without three of their top six players less than a month into what was supposed to be a championship-contending season.
Western Conference Co-Favorites Are Now Scrambling
This is a gut punch, especially after a blazing 4-1 start to the season. You saw it Wednesday night in that lopsided loss to the Dallas Mavericks, where Holmgren was already out. That game was a harsh glimpse into just how challenging life is going to be for Coach Mark Daigneault and his squad with yet another star on the shelf. The Thunder began this season as co-favorites in the Western Conference alongside the San Antonio Spurs, with a projected win total over 60. Now, less than a month into the season, they’re facing a serious challenge just to maintain a spot in the top four out West.
Their dominance in recent seasons was built on tremendous depth, but this summer saw them take the first steps in shedding some of that due to the second apron’s perils and the rising costs of keeping a talented young core together. Established contributors Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe are all gone. While these were understandable cost-cutting measures, they really exacerbate the problem of dealing with serious injuries to key players at all three levels of the floor. Holmgren’s injury is only for a couple of months, which is a silver lining, but losing one of the league’s best rim protectors is going to be incredibly difficult to deal with. Daigneault already had a challenging season ahead without two key backcourt stars, and now he has to shuffle his lineups across the board with Holmgren out of action.
A 7-Foot-3 Rookie’s Trial by Fire
This is where rookie big man Aday Mara steps into the spotlight. The Thunder probably hoped to bring their 7-foot-3 center out of Michigan along slowly, letting him ease into things. But with Holmgren out, Mara has no choice but to take on a much larger spot in the rotation, and fast. He already impressed in spot duty on opening night against Victor Wembanyama, showing exactly why the Thunder drafted him: to combat their chief rival with a rare player who has the size and length to bother Wemby and alleviate the stress Holmgren faces.
Mara then picked up his first career double-double in a win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday, getting his first extended burn with Holmgren out and dropping 11 points and pulling down 10 boards in 20 minutes. He was less effective in 21 minutes against the Mavericks, but that’s the rookie experience. The Thunder will have to navigate the ups and downs of it while he develops on the fly.
This early season hit is a gut punch. The Thunder need Mara to step up big time, and fast, because maintaining that top-four Western Conference spot is going to be an absolute dogfight for the next couple of months. Coach Daigneault has his work cut out for him shuffling these lineups. Let’s see if Mara can rise to the challenge and keep this team afloat until Chet makes his comeback.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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